PS3 Catching Up to Xbox 360 In Global Sales

Despite releasing a year after the Xbox 360, the PS3 is beginning to close the gap in terms of global sales. According to the EEDAR, the Xbox 360 currently stands at fifty five million consoles sold worldwide, with the PS3 just five million behind. Though neither console is showing signs of slowing down, PS3 sales have began to catch up to the Xbox 360 at an ever rising rate, with the console even outselling its HD counterpart throughout most of 2011.

“If one looks at the total amount of sales through the first six months of 2011, the PlayStation 3 has sold about ten per cent more than the Xbox 360, worldwide, so the PlayStation 3 is definitely gaining ground. The Xbox 360 does have a five per cent lead over the PlayStation 3 worldwide, a minimal difference.”

The Ps3 sales increase can be attributed to many factors, such as the increase in exclusive content and games for the PS3, and most notably the 2009 price drop which saw PS3 sales soar as an affordable, Blu-ray capable home entertainment platform.

Jesse Divinch from EEDAR believes that despite the Xbox 360 having a five percent lead, the actual user base is much closer, as Xbox 360 users have a higher chance of needing to replace their console.

“We do know based on our consumer surveys that the replacement rate among Xbox 360s are slightly higher than the PlayStation 3 (the Nintendo DS is the highest, as it is expected for portable electronics). The PlayStation 3 was a tad bit more technologically future proof from the start compared to the Xbox 360. I think if you weigh in those factors, the race is neck and neck.”

The PS3 also has a great year ahead of it with its own share of heavy hitters include Uncharted 3,Resistance 3, and Twisted Metal. It’s really anyone’s guess as to who will come out on top at this point as both consoles have a tremendous amount of momentum going forward, though Billy Pidgeon of M2 Research believes that if Microsoft were to release a new console, it could cause a spike in PS3 sales.

“Should Microsoft release a successor to Xbox 360 and shift the pipeline for hardcore games over to the new consoles, that would be a possible scenario by which PS3 could bypass Xbox 360’s active installed base, this scenario would give PS3 the opportunity to soak up the hardcore sector.”

Do you think the PS3 will eventually overtake the Xbox 360 in global sales?

16 Comments

If you ask me it’s because Sony said that the PS3 will be around for a while longer, while X-Box is releasing their new console shortly.

People want reliability and comfort (knowing that in a year or two their console will be outdated isn’t very “sales friendly”).

If I had to buy either a PS3 or an X-Box TODAY: I’d chose the PS3 because I have the safety of knowing that I can still enjoy the latest games for a few more years without having to buy a new console again (ala X-Box 720 or whatever it’s called). – Not to mention all the awesome features the PS3 has Blu-Ray, FREE content, FREE online gaming, etc.

Not all content on the PS3 is free DLC on the 360 is the same price depending on were you live as it is for PS3 the free content I see in the store is mostly wallpapers but you can just load an image from a USP drive and call it content. But like you said New xbox is coming out soon and if I had to choice to buy one it probably be the new 720 that will come out. But I mostly use my PS3 as a blue ray player. I do all my online gaming on the 360. I think the fact that the PS3 can be a blue ray player is why the sales have increase. Why buy a 500$ blueray player when the PS3 offers that and gaming for lets say the family or quest. Still Can’t wait to see what both Sony and Microsoft have for us. I just hope Sony dose something new. The PS2 and PS3 looks way to much alike console and Controller wise. Its kind of lame. I want a BIG BOY PS4 controller. That PS3 one is 2 small it hurts my hands after a wile. lol Still I like your comment kudos.

On my 3rd Xbox, and now it’s making a funny noise in the disk tray. Been a 360 owner since 2007 and a PS3 owner since 2008 (PS3 hasn’t broke yet)

BUT CONSIDER THIS!!!!!

A PORTION of 360 sales is due to the fact that owners who had their 360 fail them, have bought ANOTHER!

I’m on the 3rd, although I only actually bought 2!

Think about THAT before you compare sales. PS3 wins simple due to Blu-ray, internet browsing capabilities, RELIABILITY, and FREE online (which isn’t far behind Xbox Live). Xbox 360 just appealed to a broader audience because it was immediately cheaper. Factor in ALL the accessories (wi-fi to name one), cost of online gaming, repairs! 360 actually costs you more! Unless you’re one of the lucky few who got a reliable Box.

My xbox hasn’t broken yet Ive had it since 2007 as well and I also got my PS3 the same time and my first one broke. I found out if you install the game onto your console it doesn’t make much noise kind of like the PS3 how most games you NEED to install onto your console. 1 of the reasons why people say PS3 is quieter then the 360. Im surprised though my 360 hasn’t gotten the red ring yet since Ive spent more hours on it then both my PS3.(PS3 is mainly my blueray player with just LBP2 and MGS4). Im just lucky with the 360. My brother has gone though 3 as well but he got his the first day it came out and then when his broke be bought another one the moment the red ring happen. I think the increase in software and them knowing this issue needs to be resolved they can improve the life span of the console. Kind of like the iphone1 worst thing I ever got. Had it for a month before the thing started to “Act up” the iphone 4 though is great and more reliable. Sony and Microsoft should probably make sure the s**t is improved 2 a great deal before selling them. But that would cost more money. In the end its all about the money brought in so that they can improve it even more.

I have had my xbox360 since launch and it has yet to break I feel awesome! Ps3 I never really looked into because of course I don’t need blu-ray for HD movies as I got them on my computer and can instantly and seamlessly play them on my tv.

Ive had my xbox since launch and it hasnt broken. I am surprised cause i always have it running xD But anywho, I used to have a PS3 (ironically it broke) at first it replaced my xbox but then i realized the online wasnt good enough for me. Xbox has a way higher quality online service and im happy to pay for quality. I find xbox better for online play but PS3 dominates in singleplayer games

PS2 was out longer as well. Plus I owned a PS1 and when PS2 came out I got one so did every kid on my block. But most of the kids broke and they re bought them. Hell my neighbor went though 4 of them. Gave 2 of them to me to fix and to keep….I sold them after I fix them lol. So there is also resale on the PS2 just like the 360. All consoles break more then once so honestly you cant really be 100% sure how many people buy them. But still its nice to see Sonys hack set back didn’t ruin them.

Definitely feel Sony has stepped their game up. I finally got a PS3 in April of 2010, my xbox became the same thing my Wii is (A cool paperweight that is an amazing dust magnet). However, with the PSN outage that pissed everyone off I was thankful to still have my xbox. I love all my consoles don’t get me wrong, for online multiplayer xbox is king. When it comes to single player games like Assasin’s Creed, Batman:AA, Dead Space, not to mention exclusives like God of War and Uncharted, PS3 is king.

I recently saw the Starwars Xbox, and being the nerd I am thought “WOW I MUST HAVE IT. But then I remembered that Microsoft may be launching their next console in just over a year, so why buy another one? I can’t say that I won’t buy the next Xbox, or even the Wii U but I will say that the PS3 is possibly even still in the race for the next console generation.

hmmmm I dunno, Microsoft are pretty bad at building consoles. Im on my third xbox but that whole hacking of Sony account was just embarassing. I wouldnt feel comfortable buying any Sony console after that whole mess. Plus the exclusive games on Sony are so feable compared to Microsofts exclusives.

Personally Im not a fan of either Halo nor Gears of War franchises but its a fairly safe assumption that they are bigger than Uncharted and Twisted Metal.

I had a PS3 for a week and hated it. Its Trophy system is nowhere near as good as an xbox gamerscore, in my opinion, that is.

Thanks for saying “in my opinion” few people do when discussing things on the internet. I’m personally on my third PS3 but I still play it because I enjoy the games. Still on my original 360 though, but I haven’t had it as long :P.

It takes skill to hack sony since their system is nearly 100% hack free yea sure online for sony went out so the great people who work for sony gave us two games for ps3 and psp plus 30 days of playstaion plus… i used to be an xbox crazed person all ive owned was xbox wen the original came out then a year before the 360 came out my xbox stopped reading the disc so i was bored for a whole freaking year, then when launch came for the 360 i bought it and was ok with it until it broke in 2009 so i was like dude microsoft consoles break every few years so then i bought a ps3 in 2010 saving lots of money on free content and online gaming,note the original xbox had better graphics but the ps2 had way better games plus a greater variety.i never owned a ps2 but my brother did and it still works even though he has it on all the time.like time a technology changes sony has better graphics and better exclusive games, the online to me is the same as xbox 360 because the multi console games have all the same features. i never had online problems with ps3 like lags and disconnecting problem, since the xbox 360 charged for online i would of expected it to be great but it lags wayyy more than ps3 there fore i am with sony in the race

I personally prefer my PS3 and its good to see how its sales are catching up. As stated in the article, PlayStation has a very strong release this year, Killzone 3 and InFamous 2, with uncharted 3 and Resistance 3 coming out soon. Also the price drop and free online really do make a large difference. However, I would still like to get an xbox 360, as I feel that they have largely improved since the original launch, and i’ve always been a Halo fanboy and I like Gears of War too. I’d most likely get the next xbox when it comes out, just to wait until the PS4

PS3 out sold 360 long ago. Remember 360 was out 1-2 years before PS3 and there are many 360 owners that have purchased many additional consoles to replace problem 360’s (Not everyone with a broken 360 has got it replaced/fixed for free).. Many buy the new 360s because of the all the problems.

well ive had 2 ps3s and just bought a 360. ive been FAR more impressed with my 360. better visual quality better controls and i like halo better than killzone. and the funny thing was i used to hate xbox even to the point of nearly starting a fight in gamestop once.